Self-inflating mattress

ABSTRACT

A self-inflating mattress has a hollow body, an inflating valve, a deflating valve, a unidirectional valve and a foam material. The body has at least two chambers respectively serving as a primary chamber with a supporting chamber and a secondary chamber. The inflating and deflating valves are mounted on the body and communicate respectively with the primary and secondary chambers. The unidirectional valve is mounted on the supporting chamber, communicates with the supporting and secondary chambers and only allows air to flow from the primary chamber to the secondary chamber when open. The foam material is mounted in the primary chamber. The operation of the inflation/deflation of the primary and secondary chambers is implemented without an air pump and is convenient. Furthermore, the supporting chamber provides convenience for tightly fitting of the unidirectional valve without any leakage.

CROSS REFERENCE

The present invention is a continuation-in-part (CIP) application of an U.S. application Ser. No. 10/920,385, filed on Aug. 18, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a self-inflating mattress, and more particularly to a self-inflating mattress that has two chambers and a unidirectional valve. One chamber has a supporting chamber which the unidirectional valve is easily and tightly mounted on without any leakage environment.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventional inflatable products in the market, such as inflatable mattresses, are inflated/deflated with air pumps. Therefore, people buying an inflatable product would have to purchase a pump. To facilitate the speed of inflating the inflatable product, people may need two or more pumps working simultaneously at different portions of the inflatable product. However, air pumps are expensive and occupy storage space when not in use. Further, once a pump is out of order or not available, the inflatable product becomes useless.

Another conventional inflatable product disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,611,981 has a unidirectional valve tightly fitted between two chambers in the body to allow air inside one chamber to pass through the other chamber. However, the way to mount the unidirectional valve between the chambers is difficult and may cause leakage.

To overcome these shortcomings, the present invention intends to provide an improved self-inflating mattress to mitigate the aforementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a self-inflating mattress, and more particularly to a self-inflating mattress that has two chambers and a unidirectional valve. One chamber has a supporting chamber which the unidirectional valve is easily and tightly mounted on without any leakage.

A self-inflating mattress in accordance with the present invention comprises a hollow body, an inflating valve, a deflating valve, a unidirectional valve and a foam material.

The body has at least two chambers serving respectively as a primary chamber and a secondary chamber. The primary chamber has a supporting chamber communicating with the primary. The secondary chamber covers the supporting chamber.

The inflating and deflating valves are mounted on the body and communicate respectively with the primary and secondary chambers.

The unidirectional valve is mounted on the supporting chamber, communicates with the supporting and secondary chambers and only allows air to flow from the primary chamber to the secondary chamber when open.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the self-inflating mattress in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the unidirectional valve of the self-inflating mattress in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the unidirectional valve of the self-inflating mattress in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the self-inflating mattress along line 4-4 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of a second embodiment of the self-inflating mattress in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of a third embodiment of the self-inflating mattress in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view of a fourth embodiment of the self-inflating mattress in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, a self-inflating mattress in accordance with the present invention comprises a hollow body (10), an inflating valve (20), a deflating valve (30), a unidirectional valve (40) and a foam material (50).

The hollow body (10) is made of soft material and has at least two chambers (11, 11 a, 12). The at least two chambers (11, 11 a, 12) serve respectively as a primary chamber (11, 11 a), on which a body may lie, and a secondary chamber (12), on which a head may rest. The primary chamber (11, 11 a) has an outer surface, an inner surface and a supporting chamber (111, 111 a) communicating with the primary chamber (11, 11 a) and having an outer surface. The secondary chamber (12) has an inner surface and covers the supporting chamber (111, 111 a). With reference to FIG. 4, a first embodiment of the self-inflating mattress has outer surface of the supporting chamber (111) partially formed with the inner surface of the secondary chamber (12). With reference to FIG. 5, a second embodiment of the self-inflating mattress has the outer surface of the supporting chamber (111 a) extending in the secondary chamber (12) and separating apart from the inner surface of the secondary chamber (12). The configurations of the embodiments can be easily manufactured by simply melting and attaching a border of the supporting chamber (111 a) to the inner surface of the secondary chamber (12), as shown in FIG. 4, or by simply melting and attaching a border of the secondary chamber (12) to the outer surface of the primary chamber (11).

The inflating valve (20) is mounted on the body (10), communicates with the primary chamber (11, 11 a), and has a base (21) and a knob (22). The base (21) has a central opening (211) and an optional O-ring. The central opening (211) communicates with the primary chamber (11). The O-ring is mounted on the base (21). The knob (22) is screwed on the base (12) has an inner surface and multiple openings, and selectively closes the central opening by 9 hermetically contacting the inner surface with the O-ring. The openings communicate with the ambient environment and the central opening.

The deflating valve (30) is similar to the inflating valve (20), is mounted on the body (10), communicates with the secondary chamber (12) and has a base (21) and a knob (22) similar to those of the inflating valve (20).

With further reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the unidirectional valve (40) is mounted on the supporting chamber (111, 111 a), communicates with the supporting and secondary chambers (111, 111 a, 12) and only allows air to flow from the primary chamber (11,11 a) to the secondary chamber (12) when open. Because the supporting chamber (12) has an appropriate dimension and shaped, the unidirectional valve (40) can be easily mounted to the supporting chamber (111, 111 a) before the attachment of the primary and secondary chambers (11, 11 a, 12) without any leakage.

The unidirectional valve (40) has a base (41), a cover (42), an optional O-ring (43), a sealing slide (44) and a spring (45). The base (41) is mounted between the primary and secondary chambers (11, 11 a, 12) and has a cavity and at least one opening (411) communicating with the primary chamber (11, 11 a) and the cavity. The cover (42) is mounted on the base (41) and has at least one opening (421) communicating with the secondary chamber (12) and the cavity. The O-ring (43) is mounted in the cavity. The sealing slide (44) is mounted slidably in the cavity and selectively closes the at least one opening (411) by contacting the O-ring (43) in the base (41). The spring (45) is mounted between the sealing slide (44) and the cover (42) and biases the sealing slide (44) to close the at least one opening (411) in the base (41).

The foam material (50) is resilient and is contained in the primary chamber (11). When the self-inflating mattress inflates itself, the inflating valve 1 (20) is opened and the foam material (50) sucks in the ambient air through the inflating valve (20) into the primary chamber (11, 11 a) and the supporting chamber (111, 111 a). After the primary chamber (11, 11 a) is inflated, the inflating valve (20) is closed and a portion of the self-inflating mattress with the primary chamber (11, 11 a) is rolled up manually to displace the air in the primary chamber (11) and the supporting chamber (111, 111 a) into the secondary chamber (12) through the unidirectional valve (40). After the secondary chamber (12) is inflated, the inflating valve (20) is re-opened to inflate the primary chamber (11, 11 a) again and complete the inflation of the self-inflating mattress. When the self-inflating mattress is inflated, the deflating valve (30) is opened and the self-inflating mattress is rolled up from the primary chamber (11) to the secondary chamber (12) so the inside air can pass through the deflating valve (30) out of the self-inflating mattress.

The operation of the inflation/deflation of the primary and secondary chambers (11, 11 a, 12) is implemented without an air pump and is convenient. Furthermore, the unidirectional valve (40) allows the primary and secondary chambers (11, 12) to have different air pressures to respectively comfort a person's heady and body. Moreover, the supporting chamber (111, 111 a) provides convenience for tightly fitting of the unidirectional valve (40) without any leakage.

With reference to FIG. 6, a third embodiment of the self-inflating mattress is similar the first embodiment. However, the supporting chamber (121) belongs to and communicates with the secondary chamber (12 a) and is covered in the primary chamber (11 b). Furthermore, the supporting chamber (121) is formed partially with the inner surface of the primary chamber (11 b). The unidirectional valve (40) is mounted on the supporting chamber (121), communicates with the supporting and primary chambers (121, 11 b) and only allows air to flow from the primary chamber (11 b) to the secondary chamber (12 a) when open. The base (41) of the unidirectional valve (40) is mounted between the supporting and primary chambers (121, 11 b) and has a cavity and at least one opening (411) communicating with the primary chamber (11 b) and the cavity. The cover (42) is mounted on the base (41) and has at least one opening (421) communicating with the secondary chamber (I 2 a) and the cavity.

With reference to FIG. 6, a fourth embodiment of the self-inflating mattress is similar the third embodiment. Furthermore, the outer surface of the supporting chamber (121 a) belonging to the secondary chamber (12 b) extends in the primary chamber (11 c) and separates apart from the inner surface of the primary chamber (11 c).

Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in the details, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed. 

1. A self-inflating mattress comprising: a hollow body made of soft material and having at least two chambers serving respectively as a primary chamber and a secondary chamber, the primary chamber having a supporting chamber communicating with the primary chamber, and the secondary chamber covering the supporting chamber; an inflating valve mounted on the body and communicating with the primary chamber; a deflating valve mounted on the body and communicating with the secondary chamber; a unidirectional valve mounted on the supporting chamber, communicating with the supporting and secondary chambers, only allowing air to flow from the primary chamber to the secondary chamber when open; and a foam material being resilient and mounted in the primary chamber.
 2. The self-inflating mattress as claimed in claim 1, wherein the unidirectional valve has a base mounted between the supporting and secondary chambers and having a cavity; and at least one opening communicating with the primary chamber and the cavity; a cover mounted on the base and having at least one opening communicating with the secondary chamber and the cavity; a sealing slide mounted slidably in the cavity and selectively closing the at least one opening; and a spring mounted between the sealing slide and the cover and biasing the sealing slide to close the at least one opening in the base.
 3. The self-inflating mattress as claimed in claim 2, wherein the unidirectional valve further has an O-ring mounted in the cavity and the sealing slide selectively closes the at least one opening by contacting the O-ring in the base.
 4. The self-inflating mattress as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inflating valve has a base having a central opening communicating with the primary chamber; and a knob screwed on the base, selectively closing the central opening and having an inner surface and multiple openings communicating with the ambient environment and the central opening.
 5. The self-inflating mattress as claimed in claim 4, wherein: the base of the inflating valve further has an O-ring mounted on the base; and the knob of the inflating valve selectively closes the central opening by hermetically contacting the inner surface with the O-ring.
 6. The self-inflating mattress as claimed in claim 1, wherein the deflating valve has a base having a central opening communicating with the secondary chamber; and a knob screwed on the base, selectively closing the central opening and having an inner surface and multiple openings communicating with the ambient environment and the central opening.
 7. The self-inflating mattress as claimed in claim 6, wherein: the base of the deflating valve further has an O-ring mounted on the base; and the knob of the deflating valve selectively closes the central opening by hermetically contacting the inner surface with the O-ring.
 8. The self-inflating mattress as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the secondary chamber has an inner surface; and the supporting chamber has an outer surface partially formed integrally with the inner surface of the secondary chamber.
 9. The self-inflating mattress as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the secondary chamber has an inner surface; and the supporting chamber has an outer surface extending in the secondary chamber and separating apart from the inner surface of the secondary chamber.
 10. A self-inflating mattress comprising: a hollow body made of soft material and having at least two chambers serving respectively as a primary chamber and a secondary chamber, the secondary chamber having a supporting chamber communicating with the secondary chamber, and the primary chamber covering the supporting chamber; an inflating valve mounted on the body and communicating with the primary chamber; a deflating valve mounted on the body and communicating with the secondary chamber; a unidirectional valve mounted on the supporting chamber, communicating with the supporting and primary chambers, only allowing air to flow from the primary chamber to the secondary chamber when open; and a foam material being resilient and mounted in the primary chamber.
 11. The self-inflating mattress as claimed in claim 10, wherein the unidirectional valve has a base mounted between the primary and supporting chambers and having a cavity; and at least one opening communicating with the primary chamber and the cavity; a cover mounted on the base and having at least one opening communicating with the supporting chamber and the cavity; a sealing slide mounted slidably in the cavity and selectively closing the at least one opening; and a spring mounted between the sealing slide and the cover and biasing the sealing slide to close the at least one opening in the base.
 12. The self-inflating mattress as claimed in claim 11, wherein the unidirectional valve further has an O-ring mounted in the cavity and the sealing slide selectively closes the at least one opening by contacting the O-ring in the base.
 13. The self-inflating mattress as claimed in claim 10, wherein the inflating valve has a base having a central opening communicating with the primary chamber; and a knob screwed on the base, selectively closing the central opening and having an inner surface and multiple openings communicating with the ambient environment and the central opening.
 14. The self-inflating mattress as claimed in claim 13, wherein: the base of the inflating valve further has an O-ring mounted on the base; and the knob selectively closes the central opening by hermetically contacting the inner surface with the O-ring.
 15. The self-inflating mattress as claimed in claim 10, wherein the deflating valve has a base having a central opening communicating with the supporting chamber; and a knob screwed on the base, selectively closing the central opening and having an inner surface and multiple openings communicating with the ambient environment and the central opening.
 16. The self-inflating mattress as claimed in claim 15, wherein: the base of the deflating valve further has an O-ring mounted on the base; and the knob selectively closes the central opening by hermetically contacting the inner surface with the O-ring.
 17. The self-inflating mattress as claimed in claim 10, wherein: the primary chamber has an inner surface; and the supporting chamber has an outer surface partially formed integrally with the inner surface of the primary chamber.
 18. The self-inflating mattress as claimed in claim 10, wherein: the primary chamber has an inner surface; and the supporting chamber has an outer surface extending in the primary chamber and separating apart from the inner surface of the primary chamber. 